From Adams’ vision in 1776, we do like a blast for July 4
My mother had a vivid childhood memory of a July 4 in the early 1920s. Her father had given her a wondrous collection of little firecrackers — novelty creations that were even used indoors as parlor entertainment in the 1920s. Some had names such as the Miniature Volcano, Parlor Snowstorm, East Indian Cobra or Aladdin’s Wonderlight.
My mother remembered mostly the “frogs” — not a real animal, of course, but a toy creation with a fuse that, when ignited, hopped along the pavement.
I know — do these tiny pyrotechnics sound like a good idea?
Early in the day, my mom put all firecracker treasures in a basket that she lugged out to the sidewalk, where she begged my grandfather to light just one of the “frogs.”
Then they watched in dismay as that fake froggy hopped toward the basket, fuse sizzling, and jumped right in. All her treasures exploded. Even decades later, she could recall her disappointment when her July 4 treats went up in smoke.
She and my grandfather were lucky no one was hurt. Each year, the debate still wages about safety and regulation of fireworks — part of our celebration of the nation’s birth.
‘Bonfires and illuminations’
Some date the tradition of July 4 fireworks back to July 1776, when the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia to create the Declaration of Independence.
On July 3, 1776, John Adams, who would become the nation’s second president, wrote his beloved wife, Abigail, that he believed the signing of the declaration “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.” The day “ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade,” he went on — “with Shows,
Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”
A year later, in 1777, Philadelphia celebrated the anniversary with fireworks — the “illuminations” Adams described, as well as a parade, and, legally or illegally, we’ve been setting off illuminations ever since.
“As is the custom in these parts, fire works and fire crackers are being exploded day and night,” the Sentinel’s Tallahassee correspondent noted in a Christmas Eve report in 1937.
The results were often not happy. In the 1920s and 1930s, reports of injuries and even fatalities appear in the Sentinel. It’s almost shocking from today’s perspective to read how many firecracker news stories during those years have a humorous twist.
“Are these any good,” a small boy asked about a grocery-store firecracker display, a story noted on July 4, 1923, under the headline “Inquisitive kid finds that fireworks are okay.” The boy found out by touching a match to the display and causing an explosion that brought firefighters and cost the grocer $1,000 in damages. The boy walked away unharmed.
On the same page, in a story about how Orlando would celebrate the holiday, police warned that “discharging
firearms inside the city, always a popular pastime with many on the Fourth and at Christmas, will not be permitted,” the writer concluded.
John Adams did mention guns, but somehow I don’t think that’s what he had in mind. I have to say, the good old days were not always so good when it came to safe behavior. Have we changed?
Morse adventures
Like many museums, the Morse Museum in Winter Park has moved its 2020 summer family activities online. New programs will be available July 8 at morsemuseum.org/ create-explore/.
Two video programs focus on American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany and the diversity of his work. The “Create and Explore” webpage also includes art activities, lesson plans, and more video and audio experiences. For more information, visit morsemuseum.org, call 407-645-5311, or email information@morsemuseum.org.